Elton DeCashe
Elton DeCashe is one of the most influential men in Ellegris during the Age of Arcana. One of the pioneers of arcane experimentation and distribution, DeCashe may very well be the most powerful living mortal spellcaster in the continent. A lifelong aristocrat, politician and rebel leader, his actions since the Dawn of Magic have shaped the world. As revealed to the party by the Harbinger of Volkachin, DeCashe's associated Tarokka card is the Fool. History Early Life Elton DeCashe was likely born sometime between 867 and 897 P.L. in Vinstok, Reixila. His parents, Gautier and Yekaterina Dokaj were Count and Countess of Khirz County, just North of Vinstok. Being born an heir to extreme wealth, Elton was sent to study in Altokiv at seventeen. There, he would become well acquainted with members of the King Casimir's court as well as the rest of the Reixilan Aristocracy. As time would pass, he would become one of Prince Olvmin's most trusted advisers, being part of the prince's inner circle of companions, along with Wyatt Crayne. He would often travel across Ellegris to gain first hand knowledge of the world. Despite his innate skills in social networking, religious history and political geography, he floundered in many of his courses. His financial tutor regarded him as the worst student she had ever encountered. He was well known for skipping lessons and firing instructors he considered too challenging. He and his friends joined the Premier Besbol League, in which Elton would become regarded as one of the finest pitchers the League would ever know, with a No Hit, 1 Walkout, 21 Strikeout performance for the Altokiv Felidars in 914, holding the record for highest game score for 28 years. Reign as Count of Khirz and Pioneer of Arcana In 920, Dokaj, now known as DeCashe by most, returned to Castle Khirz following his father's fatal stroke, and soon took the seat as head of the house. Distracted by a love of exploring and dungeon crawling, DeCashe seldom was found at home. In 926, the Dawn of Magic struck the world. DeCashe was very quick to take to the craft, finding an educational pursuit which finally made sense to him. His fellow scholars regarded his discoveries in Planar Theory and the school of Conjuration as second to none. A mere two months after the start of his studies, DeCashe was known to be able to cast spells as high as sixth level. He was eager to share his love of magic with the world, but was swiftly rebuked by the Holy Cathedra, citing caution must be taken with educating in the field. Despite the wishes of the Cathedra, the recently crowned King Olvmin (much to his wife Lila's dismay) granted his friend permission to open what was to be Reixila's first school of Arcane Arts. Wynne His net worth was increased exponentially in 931, when he lead an expedition into the Cactus Forest of Qolas and raided the Lost Mine of Amoxtli and recovered some six thousand pounds of diamonds and gold from the Second Yuan-ti Kingdom. His wealth increased not only in gold, but in romance. At some point in the delve, he encountered a woman named Wynne, who aided him in reaching the mine's treasure vault, in exchange for his assistance in slaying Meztli, a mummified blue dragon defending the ruin. Elton was instantly smitten with her, even after she revealed her vampiric nature (or perhaps due to it). Wynne continued travelling with him, highly impressed in his quick mastery of Arcana in only a few months of study. The two formed an inseparable bond, returning to Vinstok to bask in their wealth. Return of the Tribunal Upon his return, however, Elton was met with a series of unsettling news. Firstly, his friend Wyatt Crayne, a fellow wizard of exceeding skill had gone missing with his adventuring party. Unable to find any clues of their whereabouts, DeCashe maintained the belief that his friend was still alive, perhaps on some distant side of the world. Secondly, he was met by the news of the Cathedra's decision to reinstate the Tribunal, following concerns regarding the link between arcanists and ebyrith. He immediately led an investigation attempting to disprove the theory across Reixila, aided heavily by Wynne. During their campaign, Elton made a number of deep and personal contacts with mages. Using his wealth, he founded the Arcanist's Alliance, an organization designed to keep mages connected and protected from Tribunal harassment. According to a number of Cathedra records, DeCashe contributed some 15,000 gold pieces to help relocate hundreds of impoverished mages to Volkachin Province, which was mostly free from Tribunal control. Due to his anti-Cathedra activities, DeCashe was stripped of his permit to build his magic academy. The Arcanist's Alliance At some point, DeCashe and Olvmin suddenly became bitter enemies, and he was forced into hiding from the Tribunal. Calling upon the members of his organization, he re-purposed the Alliance into a sect of freedom fighters, aiming to fight against the the Tribunal's unjust treatment of mages. During this time (likely around 933), he and Wynne married in a Temple of Yaxsi which the two had just burned to the foundations. In 946, he, Wynne and four other mages found themselves trapped under the spell of Reesleigh the Aboleth in Blue Field. They were released by the charm thanks to the party's involvement, and quickly set plans in motion to put a stop to Pilut. While the party and Wynne traveled to Onmire to render the vampires mortal, he and a group of mages attempted to track Pilut and the abducted mages. He and his group were abushed and attacked by a group of Ice Tusks and the vampires, inhibited by some mysterious force. He escaped, and shortly regrouped with Wynne and the party to discuss plans. Despite a promising team up with Bug, Ranulf and Simon, the party elected to bail on DeCashe following Ranulf's performance of Ranulf's Ode. Unable to approach Tzopilotl due to that restraining magic, DeCashe instead aimed to evacuate as many arcanists to Volkachin following the emergence of the Iron Dragon. Upon his arrival in the coastal city, he was met with a number of Tribunal knights, lead by Knight Commander Erephala. He was defended by the several hundred mages he had personally rescued over the years, and swiftly assumed control of the city. Once again meeting with the party in Volkachin, DeCashe was reluctant to work with them. While they dealt with Tavra at the Titan Isles, he worked to organize a strike force to kill to Dragon, before Olvmin's ultimatum was due. Wynne, the leader of the strike force, was captured by Oddysso and Civique and brought to Tzopilotl. Summoning the party to a meeting place of New New Iberia, he made plans to put an end to the vampire menace. While the party traveled to Pilut's fortress, DeCashe scoured Desolate Library in Valley Grove Province for some way to kill the Iron Dragon without being changed into an ebyrith. It was there he met Princess Rozalka, searching for the same information. The two combined their research to discover a way to track and kill the dragon. Much to his protests, Rosie and Stevie-6 as well as a small compliment of Tribunal knights accompanied he and his squadron to Edra Port, where they made swift work of Pilut's draconic vessel. The Council of 946 Following the demise of the Iron Dragon and Pilut, DeCashe, Wynne and some 30 arcanists gathered at the Pillars to discuss the fate of Volkachin and Reixilan mages. He noted to Ranulf that the metallic ore embedded within the Pillars held some magical property, but was unsure what the nature was. Upon Tavra's arrival and the Awakening, DeCashe and Wynne fought back to back against the many ebyrith which swarmed the field. Cornered and badly wounded, the two would've likely been slain by a Sire of Insanity ebyrith, had it not been for Simon Roswell's and Bug's intervention. As the ebyrith were all slain and the Colossi and Tavra had gone, Elton, Wynne, Simon and the remaining dozen mages were caught up in the battle with the Tribunal. The Arcanists defeated them and soon fled to Volkachin. Chancellor of the Sovereignty of Volkachin After returning to Volkachin, DeCashe summoned the Merchant Princes to the Crescent Isle for a special session of congress. Paying each of them hefty sums and providing a satisfactory financial model to them, the Princes motioned to declare Volkachin Province's independence from Reixila and to appoint Elton DeCashe as Chancellor. Volkachin's arcanists flourished under his rule, bringing in a magical golden age for research and advancement. With sovereign backing, the Arcanist's Alliance was replaced with the Legion of Magi, a formal mage oriented military. Appointing Wynne as Grand Marshall of the Legion, DeCashe fell back to Volkachin to handle affairs of state. Among the numerous economic and social changes made to Volkachin, DeCashe ordered the construction of several Academies of Arcana, schools aiming to provide a mandatory education in magic. Despite his promises of prosperity and protection, the first five years of DeCashe's reign as Chancellor have been wracked with poverty and starvation, likely due to one of his more infamous decrees, the Spell Tax and his inability to find a replacement for the Green Prince, Mirenfaal. Noted by most officials throughout the rest of the world, the wealth gap between Volkachin's aristocracy and the rest of her people has become as wide as the Bay of Oreleth, Category:Characters